


Casting On (Knit 2 Together Remix)

by Chicklet_Girl



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-16
Updated: 2010-05-16
Packaged: 2017-10-09 12:23:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/87362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chicklet_Girl/pseuds/Chicklet_Girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jessica Fletcher and the creation of what John Sheppard will come to think of as The Sweater.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Casting On (Knit 2 Together Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chandri MacLeod (Chandri)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chandri/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Casting On](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/808) by Chandri MacLeod. 



> While the events in this story are discussed from Rodney's POV in Casting On, I did consult the screencaps at the end of Knitted Goods for reference. Also, there is no way the pattern described in this story would actually work, so please don't try. I based it very loosely on the pattern for [The Dude](http://web.me.com/andreaknits/Site/Blog/Entries/2009/9/22_the_dude.html) by Andrea Rangel, which is a knockoff of the sweater The Dude wears throughout _The Big Lebowski_. Chandri, the minute I realized you were the author who had created this universe, I knew I had to play in it -- thank you for the opportunity to do so! Now that authors are public, I can thank my beta, thepouncer, for her loving attention to this piece.

> _CO 114 stitches. Establish 2x2 ribbing, with selvedge stitches, as follows:  
> Row 1: k1, *k2, p2* repeat from * until last stitch, k1.  
> Row 2: k1, *k2, p2* repeat from * until last stitch, k1._

If Jessica were honest, she would admit that casting on is her favorite part of any knitting project, just like writing the first sentence of a manuscript is her favorite part of creating her books. It is, of course, an accomplishment to finish an undertaking, but a beginning has a sense of possibility that Jessica finds exhilarating.

She knows the sweater will be a little large for Meredith, since he's only fourteen. She remembers the students from her teaching days, how the freshmen boys often looked so small compared to the seniors. And now Meredith is attending college at the same age as those boys, surrounded by full-grown men. She thinks he will look quite small indeed when she goes to visit him in Boston. But the McGill men are broad in the shoulders, and she has a feeling Meredith will grow into the sweater long before it wears out.

She's an inch into the ribbing, enjoying the rhythm – knit two, purl two, knit two – and the slight clicking of her needles. With the rhythm established, she lets her mind wander to her latest book. She thinks she's included too many red herrings, but they were so fun to write, she's loath to eliminate too many of them. Perhaps only Terrence and Cici need to go. Cici's a retired showgirl – maybe Jessica can work her into a future book instead. A retired showgirl who turns to murder sounds interesting, indeed.

> _Knit 3 inches 2x2 rib. Knit stockinette stitch (knit 1 row, purl 1 row) until work measures 6 inches, then work chevron chart for 10 rows. Resume stockinette stitch until work measures 7 inches._

Jessica remembers the first summer Meredith spent with her and Frank, how angry he was. Of course, it was just a mask for his pain, and both of them understood that. Oh, Jessica knew that Ann and Richard loved their children, but she thought they approached child-rearing with equal parts bafflement and exasperation, and it was a bad combination. But then, Jessica had realized the first time she met Richard that he and Ann were a bad match – high-strung, intelligent, and ambitious, the both of them. A marriage can work between a person like that and someone calmer and more centered, but Ann and Richard were too similar to do anything other than wind each other up. They brought out the worst in each other, plain and simple.

So there was Meredith in the guest room, angry, worried about his sister, and hundreds of miles away from his family. No wonder he occasionally said something sarcastic to her or pounded away on the piano. Jessica let this go, to a point. And then she began adding her typing to the mix. Poor Frank – sometimes all he wanted to do was listen to the Red Sox game on the radio, and between her and Meredith it would be impossible to do so in the house. Jessica thinks he drove into town and parked wherever he could best pick up the signal on the car radio. But it was important to give Meredith an outlet for his feelings, and eventually his playing calmed down and became pretty. Those were the times Jessica would stop typing and just listen.

> _When work measures 8 inches, begin working fish chart. AT SAME TIME, when work measures 15 inches, begin shaping armholes as follows: …_

When she saw Meredith get out of the car that first summer, she decided he needed to spend more time outside. He was pale and thin, with no muscle tone. She had a feeling that Ann and Richard left Meredith on his own much of the time, and he chose to stay indoors. She thought perhaps that spending more time outside might at least make him healthier physically, even if he didn't reap any of the emotional benefits she herself gained by walking along the beach or sitting in the park. She knew most of the children in Cabot Cove spent hours exploring the seashore and the rocks, and Meredith was, after all, a child. A child who was curious, above all. That curiosity would serve him well, if Jessica could cultivate it in a different direction.

So she assembled sandwiches and poured iced tea into a thermos and sent him out to the tide pools. He wasn't supposed to actually bring anything alive back with him, but he had to return and tell Jessica what he had seen. (Meredith had gotten a disgusted look on his face, probably at the thought of actually touching an anemone.) After the first day, he was hooked -- and red as a lobster from sunburn, of course. Jessica had given him a dose of children's aspirin and sprayed on Solarcaine before sending him to bed for a nap before supper. When she went in to wake him, Meredith was fast asleep on his stomach, limbs spread out like a starfish, the skin of his shoulders and back virulently-colored against the white sheets. During dinner, Meredith discussed in detail the fact that sunburn was actually low-level radiation poisoning, so sunblock was required for any future trips outside. Jessica assured him she would buy him his very own bottle at the drugstore.

> _Begin Right Front: Cast on 56 stitches. Establish 2x2 rib, with selvedge stitches, as follows:  
> Row 1: k1, *k2, p2*, repeat from * until last stitch, k1.  
> Row 2: k1, *k2, p2*, repeat from * until last stitch, k1._
> 
> Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until work measures 3 inches. Begin working stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl one row) until work measures 6 inches, then work chevron chart for 10 rows. Resume stockinette stitch until work measures 7 inches, then begin working chart. AT SAME TIME, when work measures 15 inches, shape armhole as follows: …

Jessica works her way through the first of the front sections of the sweater, remembering the day she wanted nothing more than to fly to Toronto and tell Ann in no uncertain terms that while she may be under great stress with Jeannie's recent epilepsy diagnosis, she also had a son who needed to hear her voice, and that it was no great wonder that Meredith was so closed-off to others, when his own mother refused to speak with him. In fact, when Meredith went to his room, Jessica said as much to Frank, who heard her out, then said quietly, "Would that do any good? Would things improve for Meredith?" Jessica was forced to admit the answer for both questions was no.

That was when she invaded Meredith's room and asked him to explain his mathematics studies to her. She didn't understand it, of course – trigonometry had been the extent of her mathematical courses – but getting him out of his shell was critical. When he had finished his lecture – that had been the only possible word for it – Jessica had told him the truth: That he was talented and would go far. In fact, she expected to be able to tell the townspeople someday that Meredith had won the Nobel Prize, so he had better not disappoint her. Meredith had beamed at her, but his shoulders were still slightly hunched, as though he didn't understand someone taking such an interest in him. It was yet another thing for which Jessica blamed his parents.

> _Begin Left Front: Work as for Right Front, reversing armhole shaping._

The second summer was easier than the first had been, although nine months back in Ann and Richard's house had caused Meredith to regress a bit. Once again, Jessica had to give him his space and instructions for getting to the tide pools. But within a few days, Meredith had become easier, less prickly, more relaxed. He told stories about Jeannie, about how she loved to see him, but that sometimes she had seizures that the medicine couldn't control yet, so his parents had decided he should visit Aunt Jess again. Jessica had put her arm around Meredith and told him that she was sad about Jeannie, but happy to have him here in Cabot Cove again, and asked him if he wanted some iced tea. He reminded her that he couldn't have lemon in it. "Of course, dear," she had replied. "I don't have a single lemon in the house."

> _Sleeves (Make 2): CO 55 stitches in main color._
> 
> Row 1: k1, *k1, p1; rep from * to last 2 sts, k2.
> 
> Row 2: p1, *p1, k1; rep from * to last 2 sts, p2.
> 
> _Work 16 rows 1x1 rib, then work rest of sleeve by following chart. AT SAME TIME, shape sleeve as follows: …_

Jessica finishes the sleeves rather quickly; she's waiting for her editor to give her some notes on the latest manuscript, so she has quite a lot of time to knit. She'll be able to fit in the trip to Boston at the end of the week, and then go to Providence for a speaking engagement. She looks at all of the pieces of the sweater, pinned to the blocking board. Seeing them all laid out, she wonders whether the design is a little busy – large fish on the body and smaller ones on the sleeves, and chevron stripes across the entire bottom edge? She convinces herself that Meredith will appreciate the reminder of his summers exploring the cove.

> _Finishing: Sew shoulder seams. Set in sleeves. Sew side seams. _
> 
> Collar: Pick up stitches along right front, neck, and left front, resulting in an even number of stitches. Place markers at top of right front and left front, to mark origin of short rows for shawl collar. Knit 1x1 rib up left front, across neck, and down right front. Continue in 1x1 rib until it measures 1 inch. Begin shawl collar as follows: …

Jessica finishes the collar and weaves in the final ends of yarn. Setting in the zipper is always a mite tricky, but with today's snowfall, she has no outings planned, nor any visitors to interrupt her. She cuts off the thread and tests the zipper, which works perfectly. She spreads the sweater out on the dining room table, smoothing it from the center out to the ends of the sleeves and to the bottom of the body. Even stitches, no mistakes on the intarsia designs, properly sized for a future Meredith. She hasn't seen him in three years, so she doesn't know if his hair is still long enough to be curly, the way it would get at the end of the summer, curly and bleached a little blond from the sun. She supposes Meredith spends all of his time indoors now, at lectures or studying. She worries about him being away from home at his age, with no one acting as his guide. She'll find out soon enough who his friends are.

Jessica runs her hand down the right sleeve of the sweater. Here, at the end of the project, Jessica remembers the exhilaration of starting it, now replaced with the satisfaction of having finished. She hopes Meredith has that feeling of accomplishment when he completes a problem or an experiment. She worries he may be the kind of person who gets lost in his work, who considers it the only safe space he has, and who therefore never stops working. Jessica turns the sweater over and folds the sleeves in, and then she folds the bottom hem up over the sleeves, making a nice rectangle, if one that's a little bulky. She unrolls a length of brown kraft paper onto the table and lays the sweater on it, front-side down, and begins wrapping. It's a well-made sweater, sturdy and warm, an expression of the love that Meredith will try to deny he needs.


End file.
